1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a restaurant or eating establishment of the type provided with a rotary catering table system or equipment having a rotary conveyer lane disposed in a top area of a base stand and on which merchandise items are conveyed around. In particular, the invention relates to a method of and apparatus for serving merchandise items whereby merchandise items on the rotary conveyer lane that are becoming short of supply in type and number can be automatically replenished, the presence of merchandise items that are deteriorating in freshness can be alerted to and in turn merchandise items that are abundant in type can be served efficiently. The present invention also relates to a merchandise item management system that can automatically manage merchandise items according to such merchandise supply by a method and in an apparatus as described and can automatically order needed merchandise item materials from suppliers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
So far, in a restaurant or eating establishment in which a rotary catering table system is installed, merchandise items which are typically xe2x80x9csushixe2x80x9d items have commonly been conveyed and served each as placed on a merchandise item tray to pass around a loop on the rotary conveyer path or lane (hereinafter simply referred to as rotary conveyer).
In serving merchandise items, it has been the practice to preliminarily distribute merchandise items of several types with each type of merchandise items in a given number throughout the rotary conveyer that is moving and turning round. The merchandise items reduced in number as they are taken by guests and have thus become short in number on the rotary conveyer are checked for each type by an operator in glancing over the entire area of the rotary conveyer. For each type that is becoming short, fresh merchandise items are prepared each time the shortage is seen, and are replenished on the rotary conveyer.
Also, when merchandise items are so replenished, it is often the case that enough space is not left in the area on the rotary conveyer where merchandise item trays are lacking.
It has then been the traditional practice for the operator to temporarily hold up the succeeding merchandise item tray or trays by hand to create enough space for supply and then to supply the space with a plurality of fresh merchandise item trays of a given merchandise item type.
To improve the servability of merchandise items, it has been commenced to use a processing apparatus such as a computer and to display on a monitor merchandise items to be replenished for indication to an operator.
Also, in order for a sushi merchandise item to be eaten with gusto, it has been known to be optimum if its xe2x80x9csharixe2x80x9d (boiled and vinegared rice) is at body temperature (a temperature around 25 to 35xc2x0 C.) and its xe2x80x9cnetaxe2x80x9d (material) such as xe2x80x9csashimixe2x80x9d (a slice of raw fish) is cold in temperature.
Also, to manage freshness of sushi merchandise items, it has been the conventional practice to rely on the visual observation by an operator. And, if sushi merchandise items are found that remain uneaten by guests for long and are thus so reduced in freshness that their xe2x80x9cneta""sxe2x80x9d are drying and tend to be dehydrated and their xe2x80x9csharixe2x80x9d becomes cold, they are withdrawn or recovered.
Also, to ease checking a charge for merchandise items taken by a guest, it has in recent years become common to fit each merchandise item with an ID medium having merchandise item data such as a price of a merchandise item stored therein and to read the merchandise item data from the ID medium using a reader.
Also, in managing merchandise items in a restaurant, it has been the practice that its owner or a person in charge manages sales for merchandise items every day and in the next morning goes to a market to get fresh cooking materials such as fresh raw fish as needed type by type and consumables such as soy sauce each time or calls to suppliers to have them delivered each time.
As mentioned above, to identify what type of merchandise items is becoming of short supply, insofar as the need has so far existed as mentioned above for each individual operator to glance over the entire crescent chain conveyer, it is found to be difficult for an operator, especially to an unskilled operator, to seize in a moment what type of merchandise items is becoming short. This has become a problem.
Also, in the process of replenishing merchandise items, supplying a plurality of merchandise item trays of one given merchandise item type simultaneously at a site makes a series of offered merchandise items less diversified, and creates the tendency for only merchandise items of that one given type to continue to be conveyed passing around. A situation then arises that a guest must wait for a long time before a merchandise item that he favors arrives in front and is thus prevented from enjoying his dining experience. This has been found to leave much to be desired as for the turnover of guests.
Also, in determining types of merchandise items to be offered, reliance has been made wholly on the operator""s rule of thumb. As a result, there may be a failure to offer merchandise items in accord with the season, time zone and guest class, thus creating the problem that the sales figures do not rise as much as expected.
Also, if a processing apparatus is used to determine types of merchandise items, the operator""s rule of thumb must be relied on to make entry in the processing apparatus. Consequently, it has still been difficult to offer merchandise items well in accord with the season, time zone (i.e. time of day) and guest class.
Also, if the processing apparatus is used to indicate the types of merchandise items to be replenished, displaying them on the monitor requires an operator to prepare them upon checking on the monitor, to look for spaces to be supplied with them on the rotary conveyer and then to distribute them in those spaces. As a result, considerable skill is still necessary, namely in the two checking operations to check on the monitor and to look for the spaces. Thus, an unskilled operator cannot raise his working efficiency in any way and this has presented a problem, too.
Also, as sushi merchandise items are being conveyed to pass around on the rotary conveyer they lose their freshness as time elapses so that their neta""s are drying and tend to be dehydrated and their shari becomes cold. As a consequence, they become less tasty to eat over time, and this has become a problem, too.
For this reason, trays loaded thereon with those sushi merchandise items deteriorating in freshness with neta""s loosing moisture and shari loosing warmth are withdrawn. In withdrawing such trays, while a practice has been made of observing the length of time or the number of times they are passed around on the rotary conveyer as suited according to types of merchandise items, changes in temperature and humidity by season have required operators to learn and master as a rule of thumb such lengths of time and numbers of times that are optimum depending on the season, which has made operations of withdrawal very troublesome to an operator who is less experienced. Also, a sushi items if left to turn around for a length of time or a number of times in excess of a threshold extent and then eaten may even hygienically impose a danger of food poisoning on guests. These have been recognized to be problems, too.
Also, in managing and especially laying merchandise items in a restaurant, there also remains the inconvenience that its owner or a person in charge must go to a market to get cooking materials as needed type by type and each time or make calls to suppliers to have them delivered each time.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for serving merchandise items which method and apparatus enable merchandise items that are becoming short in supply on the rotary conveyer to be automatically replenished on the rotary conveyer.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for serving merchandise items which method and apparatus enable an alert as to merchandise items that are deteriorating in freshness.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of and apparatus for serving merchandise items which method and apparatus enable merchandise items abundant in type to be served efficiently.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a merchandise item management system that can automatically manages merchandise items according to such merchandise services by a method and in an apparatus as described and can automatically order needed merchandise item materials from suppliers.
In order to achieve these and other objects which will become more readily apparent hereinafter, the present invention in a first aspect thereof provides a method of and an apparatus for serving merchandise items in a rotary catering table system having a rotary conveyer path or lane disposed in a top area of a base stand and on which merchandise items are conveyed around, which method and apparatus are characterized in that a merchandise item stocker is disposed adjacent to the rotary conveyer lane, the merchandise item stocker having a plurality of compartments defined by rows and tiers and adapted to store therein merchandise items classified by type, a merchandise item feeder is disposed adjacent both the stocker and the rotary conveyer lane, the merchandise item feeder being operable to select merchandise item from those stored in the merchandise item stocker and to transfer the selected merchandise item onto the rotary conveyer lane, and by means of the merchandise item feeder, the rotary conveyer lane is served with merchandise items.
In a specific form of embodiment of the present invention in this aspect, a measuring means is used to determine types of merchandise items being conveyed around on the rotary conveyer lane and their respective numbers; and the merchandise item feeder is operative to determine which specified types of merchandise items on the rotary conveyer lane are becoming short of supply each from a specified number, and then to transfer as the selected merchandise item a merchandise item of a type so determined from the stocker onto the rotary conveyer lane.
In a further specific form of embodiment of the present invention in this aspect, a detecting means is used to determine a place on the rotary conveyer lane at which a merchandise item is lacking, and the merchandise item feeder is operative to replenish the place determined on the rotary conveyer lane with a merchandise item from the merchandise item stocker.
In a further specific form of embodiment of the present invention in this aspect, the rotary conveyer lane is provided with a merchandise item supply zone to be served with a merchandise item manually by an operator and a merchandise item recovery zone where to recover a merchandise item that is deteriorating in freshness, each of the zones is provided with a measuring means for determining types of merchandise items with which the supply zone is served and their respective numbers and types of merchandise items recovered in the recovery zone and their respective numbers, respectively, whereby merchandise items turned around on the rotary conveyer lane are managed.
The present invention also provides in a second aspect thereof a method of and an apparatus for serving merchandise item in a rotary catering table system as described, which method and apparatus are characterized in that the rotary conveyer lane is fitted with freshness managing members, the rotary conveyer lane that is fitted with the freshness managing members is served with merchandise items, the freshness managing members being each operable for actuation upon supply with a merchandise item for measuring time elapsing for the merchandise item after supply and each operable to issue a warning upon a predetermined lapse of time after the supply; and by way of such a warning by the freshness managing members, the presence of a merchandise item that is deteriorating in freshness is alerted to.
At this point, it should be noted that the rotary conveyer lane is conveniently formed from a series of conveyer elements.
In a specific form of embodiment of the present invention in the first or second aspect, one of the conveyer elements or one of the freshness managing members is fitted with an ID medium that is capable of registering a type or the like of a merchandise item, a measuring means is disposed adjacent to the rotary conveyer lane, the measuring means being adapted to measure the ID medium and a detecting means is also disposed adjacent to the rotary conveyer lane, the detecting means being adapted to determine the presence or absence of a merchandise item on or above each of the conveyer elements or of the freshness managing members, the measuring means and detecting means are connected to a processing means for indicating a type of merchandise items, the processing means being adapted to determine which specified type of merchandise items on the rotary conveyer lane is becoming short of supply in number each from a specified number, and the rotary conveyer lane is supplied with a merchandise item of a type so determined on a designated conveyer element or freshness managing member.
In this case, advantageously only one of two adjacent such conveyer elements is fitted with the ID medium, thereby reducing the number of the ID media used.
Also, advantageously two adjacent such conveyer elements are fitted with a freshness managing member and a cover member having no freshness managing means attached thereto, respectively, thereby reducing the number of the freshness managing members used.
Also, preferably the warning is issued for each type of merchandise items by emitting a light that varies in flickering time interval, number of light emissions or color depending on types of merchandise items.
Also, each of the freshness managing members is preferably made responsive to lightness in environment of the rotary catering table and is thus made to suspend from issuing a warning in a time zone outside of the business hours of the restaurant in which that environment is dark.
Further, in a specific form of embodiment of the present invention in the first or second form, an ID medium is fitted to a merchandise item tray having a merchandise item placed thereon, the ID medium having a type, price or allowance lapse of time or the like of the merchandise item registered therein.
The present invention also provides in a third aspect thereof a method of and an apparatus for serving merchandise items in a rotary catering table system as described, which method and apparatus are characterized in that the rotary conveyer lane is formed from a series of conveyer elements, a preselected color or pattern is applied to each of the conveyer elements at least on a surface thereof; and each of the conveyer elements is supplied with a merchandise item of the type corresponding to the color or pattern applied thereto, whereby merchandise items abundant in type are efficiently offered to guests.
In a specific form of embodiment in this aspect of the present invention, a color or pattern is applied to each of the conveyer elements by attaching detachably to each of the conveyer elements an identifier having a color or pattern applied to at least a surface thereof.
The present invention also provides in a fourth aspect thereof a method of and an apparatus for serving merchandise items in a rotary catering table system as described, which method and apparatus are characterized in that the rotary conveyer lane is formed from a series of conveyer elements, each of the conveyer elements is fitted with a display plate displaying a particular type of merchandise items, and each of the conveyer elements is supplied with a merchandise item of the type displayed by the display plate fitted thereto, whereby merchandise items abundant in type are efficiently offered to guests.
The present invention also provides in a fifth aspect thereof a merchandise item management system for a plurality of restaurants each provided with a rotary catering table device having a rotary conveyer lane disposed in a top area of a base stand and on which merchandise items are conveyed around, and an apparatus for serving merchandise items which includes: a merchandise item stocker disposed adjacent to the rotary conveyer lane, the merchandise item stocker having a plurality of compartments defined by rows and tiers and adapted to store therein merchandise items classified by type; a measuring means for determining types of merchandise items, which are being conveyed around on the rotary conveyer lane, and their respective numbers to determine which specified type of merchandise items being conveyed around is becoming short of supply in number from a specified number; and a merchandise item feeder disposed adjacent both the stocker and the rotary conveyer lane, the merchandise item feeder being operable to select a merchandise items of the specified type from those stored in the merchandise item stocker and to transfer the selected merchandise item onto the rotary conveyer lane, thereby automatically serving the rotary conveyer lane with merchandise items, the merchandise item management system being operable for execution on or with an information communication network and comprising:
a merchandise item managing means for managing merchandise items to produce management data; and
a merchandise item ordering means responsive to the management data from the merchandise item managing means for ordering needed merchandise type by type from a plurality of suppliers,
whereby automatically entering data representing a status of supply of merchandise items by the merchandise item feeder in a given restaurant as aforesaid into the managing means in the merchandise item management system directs the managing means automatically to construct such management data as aforesaid and identifying merchandise item materials needed in the restaurant and directs the merchandise item ordering means responsive thereto automatically to order the identified merchandise items type by type from the plural suppliers for delivery thereby of the same to the restaurant.